Kuwait condemns Quran burning in Sweden

By Yaqout Dandashi

KUWAIT CITY, Kuwait (AA) – Kuwait on Saturday condemned the burning of a copy of the Quran, Islam’s holy book, by a Swedish-Danish right-wing extremist in the Swedish capital, Stockholm.

Under police protection, Rasmus Paludan, the leader of Stram Kurs (Hard Line) Party, burnt a copy of the Quran near the Turkish Embassy’s building.

The incident "hurts Muslims' sentiments across the world and marks serious provocation,” Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah said in statements cited by the state news agency KUNA.

He called on the international community “to shoulder responsibility by stopping such unacceptable acts and denouncing all forms of hatred and extremism and brining the perpetrators to accountability.”

Earlier Saturday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry described the burning of the Quran in Stockholm as "vile attack."

"We condemn in the strongest possible terms the vile attack on our holy book, the Quran, in Sweden today (21 January), despite our repeated warnings earlier," a ministry statement said.

In response to Sweden's permission of the incident, Ankara canceled Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson's upcoming visit to Türkiye.

* Writing by Ahmed Asmar